Many of the participants expressed relief at the informative discussions and activities organised, said chairwoman Mereana Taikoko.

She said Te Kainga started outreach programmes in 2008 after reports revealed the country’s mental health cases were increasing.

The workshop aims to encourage participants to identify problems and solutions that they could work on, including discrimination, stigma, the lack of medication and how they could address this with the help of stakeholders.

A variety of activities were put together by the organisers to keep participants busy.

While mental health continues to be a big challenge, the programme was an opportunity to assist those who suffered from any form of mental illness, she said.